Central Florida fishing: School's coming back, but lobster, gator & snook on the docket

You hear that sound? That's the sound of the electronic school bells tuning up in the not-so-distant future.

That's right. Before our very eyes, the summer just faded away. Now if only the heat will.

Just because the summer is coming to a close for some of us does not mean the seasons for harvest of unique Florida targets is. Lobsters, alligators, snook (and don't forget scallops on Florida's northern Gulf Coast) are all entering their harvest seasons at different designated dates.

So unfortunately some of us will be back in the stores soon buying those spiral notebooks and colored pencils, but don't forget to get your last taste of the outdoors before the school bells ring.

Florida fishing regulations and fishing season opening and closing dates:

• Lobster: Regular season opens Aug. 6-March 31, 2024. Bag limit: 6. Lobster stamp required.

• Alligator: Hunt season opens Aug. 15-Nov. 1. Permits required.

• Snook: Harvest reopens Sept. 1. One fish bag limit, 28-32 inches, snook stamp required.

• Golden tilefish: Harvest closed July 17. Harvest re-opens Jan. 1.

• Flounder: Harvest closes Oct. 15 to Nov. 30. Size limit: 14 inches. Bag limit: 5 fish per person.

• Hogfish: Harvest closes from Nov. 1 to April 30.

• Spotted seatrout: Harvest closes November and December in Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties. Harvest reopens Jan. 1.

• Grouper: Harvest opened May 1. Includes gag grouper, red grouper, black grouper, scamp, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth, coney, graysby, red hind and rock hind. Harvest closes Jan. 1.

• Cobia: New bag and size limits for state waters. Bag limit: Two fish per vessel. Size limit: 36 inches fork length.

• Redfish: Harvest of redfish has been banned in the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon since Sept. 1, 2022. FWC will reevaluate in the future.

• Dolphin: Bag limit is 5 fish per day per angler. Vessel limit is 30 fish per day. Captain and crew may not be included in limit. These fishing regulations began on May 1, 2022, for state waters.

• Bass: Bass at Headwaters Lake will soon become all catch-and-release.

For complete fishing regulations in Florida go to MyFWC.com.

Mosquito Lagoon

Black drum, redfish, speckled trout and jacks can be caught around the spoil islands and along the shorelines on the east side of the lagoon. Use live shrimp or jerk baits. Topwater plugs are more effective fished early in the morning as the sun is coming over the eastern shoreline.

Offshore

Mangrove snapper, mutton snapper, cobia, kingfish and amberjacks can be caught in 70 to 100 feet. Even though the full moon was earlier in the week, look for wahoo by trolling in 200 to 300 feet of water with large ballyhoo rigged behind a red and black Ilander lure. Dolphin and blackfin tuna have been back along the currents of the Gulf Stream.

Surf

Whiting are the main target in this zone. Fish the beginning of the outgoing tide to get a few whiting for dinner and possible blue runners, jacks and bonnethead sharks. Try Fishbites or pieces of shrimp. Best beach include Melbourne Beach, Ponce De Leon and Spessard Holland.

Sebastian Inlet

Mangrove snapper has been the best bite going. Catwalks are closed so the best snapper fishing is from either jetty on cut mojarra. Watch out if hooking fish from north jetty. Goliath grouper are snagging catches. Catch and release snook and redfish can be caught from the end of the jetties on live croaker and pilchards. Snook season opens Sept. 1, but the FWC will still review redfish until further notice, keeping them all release.

Indian River Lagoon

Capt. Peter Deeks of Native Son fishing charters out of Merritt Island steered clients to catches and releases of oversized jack crevalle and tarpon early this week. Tarpon from 50 to 150 pounds can be caught near the channel of the lagoon on live pilchards or dead mullet. Snook, redfish and black drum can be caught on split crabs and shrimp fished near channel edges. Pitch baits to the nd of docks for speckled trout, sheepshead and snapper.

Freshwater

Bluegill and bream are biting on live crickets or red worms. Fish the edges. Since the recent full moon there will be some bedding activity by bass and other fish.

Ed Killer is an outdoors writer for the USA Today Network of Florida. Email your fishing reports to him at ed.killer@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Space Coast fishing: Lobster, gator & snook seasons coming soon